My friends Bob and Linda are in town for the week. Bob is one of my oldest friends and a charter member of our imaginary rock group, The Frazier Thomas Band. Linda, Bob’s wife, who was Lee’s best friend, has become one of my best friends. Linda’s birthday was Tuesday. Bob and Linda planned to […]
Reunion
Not unexpectedly, but to my slight disappointment, Lola did not run to greet me as I entered and parked in the driveway. She managed to briefly tear herself away from Donna and the deflated rugby ball cum dog toy long enough to jump up against me once or twice as I rounded the corner of […]
No Holiday From Grief
Last Friday I packed Lola the pup off to the great north woods with my RV pals, Donna and Craig, who have a lake home where they will be spending the next few weeks. I myself will be on holiday for the next couple of weeks. The timing means that I will miss Lola’s 1st […]
Road Test
After Robyn informed me that her granddaughter had been selected to perform the national anthem at a Major League Baseball game, I took steps to secure very good seats close to home plate with an excellent vantage point of both the field and her granddaughter. Just before game time a young woman emerged onto the […]
Word of Mouth
At long last, shortly before Labor Day we will be hosting a celebration of Lee’s life here at Deer Tick Manor, where Lola the pup and I currently are spending several relaxing days. The guest list mainly consists of the folks whose email addresses we had gathered last summer around this same time, as we […]
I Get By
An Open Letter to Friends and Family: So, dear friends and family, today is July 8, 2021, and I have made it through Year One relatively intact. I say it is relative because, as you well know, the seismic shift to my world that occurred when Lee died still reverberates. My world now is altered, […]
My First Anniversary
Tomorrow will mark exactly one year since Lee died from pancreatic cancer. When I first agreed to contribute to this site last February, I said that these weekly musings were mostly for me. The statement remains true as far as it goes, but today my words also are intended as a tribute to my wonderful […]
No Cause For Celebration
You say it’s your birthdayIt’s my birthday too, yeah…— “Birthday” by The Beatles (1968) All I can recall about my 69th birthday is that Lee was dying and that she would be dead a few days later. June 27th will mark my 70th birthday. It is supposed to be a milestone birthday. Among royalty it […]
June 12th
June 12 is the date on which Lee and I got married. This year, as June 12 approached, I felt a bit uncomfortable at the thought that June 12 is our anniversary since Lee would not be here with me to celebrate it. Without her, I had no cause to celebrate June 12. With these […]
The Box (Part Two)
Lee kept her wedding box at the top of her closet, which I had been in the process of reclaiming from her when I found it. I say her wedding box because she was not keeping it for our mutual benefit. I did not know it existed. I opened the lid and looked inside the […]
The Box (Part 1)
It was inevitable that I would start to reclaim for myself spaces we used to share, but then I procrastinate or stop short of finishing the task. Yes, it’s true that within hours of Lee’s death, in anger I had exorcised from our home numerous items, including the bottles and boxes containing her medicines, the […]
Betwixt
With the approach of summer and a substantial number of folks now being fully vaccinated, my sense is that at long last life might be “normalizing,” even if the continued use of masks in some quarters serves as a stark reminder that normal life tomorrow could look different. Imagine awakening one fine Spring morning to […]